Trial and Danger
by retrokitten87
Summary: Any fan of Sailor Moon knows that if Sailor Moon is in deep trouble, Tuxedo Mask is always there in the nick of time to save her. But what would happen... if he were too late? Based upon the English dub - English versions of names
1. The Capture

DISCLAIMER: All of the characters mentioned in this story are either the property of, or are inspired by characters owned by Naoko Takeuchi, DIC, Madman Entertainment, and whoever else owns rights to Sailor Moon around the world. I stake no claim on any of these, and I warn anyone thinking of suing me that I am currently broke. Go figure.

Author's Note: This is the first fanfic I've posted, so please be nice… reviews would be highly appreciated. However, I must warn you that flames will be met by retaliation in like fashion from my resident dragon, Kylara. You have been warned. That said… enjoy!

The story is set somewhere late in the 'Queen Beryl' series, after Serena and Darien are revealed as the Princess and Prince respectively, but before the final battle with Beryl. Somewhere in there, not quite sure where exactly. This fic is… interesting for me. I don't generally write this sort of thing. But I noticed, in my fandom, that Tuxedo Mask is pretty much always there to help Sailor Moon/Serena out of a tight spot… so I decided to investigate what would happen if he arrived too late.

CHAPTER ONE

The alarm on Serena's bedside table rang. Luna opened one eye, familiarising herself once again with the somewhat-strange surroundings (she and Serena were staying at Amy's while Serena's parents were away on holiday) before raising herself into a sitting position. As usual, the alarm had not disturbed Serena in the slightest. Sighing, Luna padded forward and swiped carefully at Serena's hand, trying to wake her without hurting her.

"Ow!" Serena sat upright, and looked at the faint scratches on her hand, then at Luna. "That hurt…"

"It was the only way to wake you," Luna replied. "I swear you've built up such selective hearing, you don't even hear that alarm anymore."

"But it's Saturday!" Serena complained.

"And there is a Scout meeting at Raye's this morning, remember?"

Luna leapt from the bed just in time to avoid being flung from it as Serena flung the blanket back quickly. "Oh, yeah! Why didn't Amy fetch me when she left? Oh, I'm gonna be late, Raye's gonna be so mad…"

As Serena charged back and forth getting herself dressed, Luna watched her measuringly. "I will meet you at Raye's, Serena. Do try not to be too far behind me." And with that, the cat walked out of the bedroom.

Serena hurriedly brushed her hair, then darted downstairs, passing Amy's mother in the hallway.

"Serena, what – " Amy's mother began.

"Sorry, gotta go, can't talk, bye!" Serena waved behind her as she darted out of the door.

"Oh, I'm gonna be so late!"

Serena tore down the footpath, heading for Raye's temple. She just knew what Raye would say if she were late… again. As it happened, she was actually on time, but she was so used to being late that she was still running flat out. Suddenly, though, she slowed to a stop, looking around her. Something seemed… wrong, somehow. She could swear she was being followed. Shrugging, she continued at a fast walk, but the feeling that something or someone was following her simply increased.

She started running again, raising her communicator to her lips as she ran. Somehow, she knew she had to alert the others about this. However, she had just started trying to reach the others when hands shot out from the bushes beside her, and dragged her in.

Meanwhile, at the temple, Raye had started pacing. "Where is she?" the raven-haired girl demanded, her robes billowing as she strode back and forth.

"Calm down, Raye," Mina said soothingly. "Serena's not even late yet."

"Yeah," Lita nodded in agreement. "What's the problem? You know she's never here on time."

Raye stopped and looked at her friends. "Yeah, I suppose you're –"

She broke off suddenly, her head coming up sharply.

The other girls looked at her in concern. "What is it, Raye?" Mina asked urgently.

Raye looked troubled. "I'm sensing something very wrong… it's faint, but growing stronger."

The others exchanged looks. Luna sat up from where she and Artemis had started to take a nap. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

Artemis opened one eye. "Quit fretting, Luna. I'm sure everything's fine."

Minutes passed. Raye resumed her pacing, but her usual look of impatience was replaced by an expression of concern. Luna had gotten more and more agitated, and finally turned to Amy. "I really don't like this. Late as she often is, Serena still should have been here by now."

Amy nodded. "I know. I've tried scanning, but she's nowhere nearby."

Raye tensed. "My bad feeling just got worse, guys."

At that moment, their communicators started flashing red. They exchanged glances, each of them wearing an identical expression of concern and sudden fear. "Serena!"

The girls transformed, and within moments the four Scouts and the two cats were sprinting towards the signal.

As they neared, they slowed, concerned and shocked at what they saw.

Darien was standing in the middle of the path, gazing at something in his hand. He looked up at the Scouts, before silently showing them what he was holding.

It was Serena's communicator.

The Scouts looked stunned. "No way…" Venus whispered.

Darien nodded solemnly. He spoke three words, which echoed the despair in his eyes. "They've got Serena."

The group returned to the temple, Darien with them. Amy started scanning madly on her computer, trying to find some trace of where Serena had been taken. The others, having all returned to their usual selves, were gathered around Darien as he played Serena's half-finished message from her communicator.

Her voice sounded from the small device. "Serena to Scouts. I'm being followed, but I don't know what's following me. I'm going to try to lose them, then head for the temple… They're close…" Her tone suddenly became panicked. "I can't lose them! They're gaining on me! I –" There was the sound of a struggle, and the communicator went silent.

Raye looked determined. "We have to go after her."

As the others nodded assent, Darien just shook his head. "There's a slight problem. I can't sense her. Normally, I can tell whether she's in danger, but now I can't. Which means that I have no idea how to find her." He looked away.

Amy shook her head. "I can't find her either."

"So that's it?" Lita demanded. "There's nothing we can do?"

Darien looked around at her. "Trust me… If I could think of anything, I'd have suggested it. But there's nothing that I can do unless I know where she is." He slammed his fist into the wall behind him in frustration.

Luna leapt up beside him, and nudged her head against his hand. He picked her up, and scratched behind her ears absently. The others just sat watching, wondering what they could do.

Serena looked around at the darkened walls of her cell. From what she could tell, there was no way out except for the main door, which was locked and heavily barred. She tried throwing herself against it anyway – and fell back onto the floor, rubbing at her now-sore shoulder. "Owie…"

What she really wanted to know was who had captured her, and why. None of their enemies knew who she really was… did they? Nephlyte had known… but he had been killed before he could possibly have revealed her…

She looked up as someone entered, and hauled herself to her feet.

"My, my… having a bit of trouble, are we?" The newcomer smiled cruelly. "Don't worry – you won't be here long…"

"Who are you?" Serena asked, somewhat frightened by the fact that she could not see the other person clearly in the almost-darkness. "And why have you brought me here?"

The man laughed. "You'll know that soon enough… Sailor Moon."

Serena tried not to show her rising panic. "S-Sailor Moon? W-What are you talking about?"

Her captor snarled. "Don't play dumb with me, Sailor Moon. I know who you are. Did you honestly think that we'd never figure it out? May I remind you that we have discovered your friends on several occasions, and so would have the knowledge to be able to find you? It was only a matter of time, Sailor Moon. And soon enough, you will no longer be able to foil our plans."

"What?" Serena looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Her captor chuckled. "You'll find out. Soon enough."

Serena backed against the wall in terror as he laughed.

Two days passed, and still the Scouts had had no luck in locating Serena.

Darien was getting desperate. He paced the length of his apartment like a caged tiger, constantly berating himself for not getting to her in time. All the while, he kept glancing at the communicator lying on the table. Serena's communicator. It had been lent to him to enable him to keep in touch with the girls on their progress, but having it there hurt.

He was startled out of his reverie (and his pacing) by the sound of the communicator beeping. He walked over to the table and picked it up. "Darien here."

"Darien." Amy's face showed on the small screen.

"Any luck?" He repeated the same question he'd asked several times already, feeling sure he'd know the answer.

"Not with Serena, no," Amy replied. Just as Darien closed his eyes in frustration, however, she continued. "But don't give up. I've picked up a small area not too far from here, with some sort of energy disturbance around it. I think it's Nega-energy."

Darien looked at the image intently "Are you sure? If you're right, then –"

"Then that could well be where Serena is – and would explain why we haven't been able to pinpoint her location exactly." Amy nodded. "We're gathering at the temple to go investigate. Can you meet us there?"

He was already out the door before she could finish. "You bet. I'm on my way."

Scant minutes later, the four remaining Scouts and Darien were once again gathered at the temple. Amy produced her computer, and showed the others her findings.

Lita looked at her. "That's not too far from our school…"

Amy nodded. "Right. It won't be hard to get there." She looked up. "Ready, everyone?"

They all gave the affirmative, and powered up their individual transformations.

"Be careful, everyone," Artemis cautioned.

Luna nodded in agreement. She turned to Tuxedo Mask. "Bring her back, Darien."

He smiled slightly. "You know I will, Luna. We all will." He gave her one last smile, as much to reassure himself as the black cat, before turning to join the others as they made their way to the disturbance site.

Their journey led them to a disused warehouse. Venus sighed. "Do they always use places like this? You'd think they'd have a little bit of imagination…"

Mars stepped forward, but Tuxedo Mask stopped her. Producing one of his roses, he hurled it at the building. It flew a short distance, then suddenly turned to dust. "That energy disturbance you mentioned?" he asked Mercury.

Mercury had her visor deployed, and was looking intently at the building. "Yes. It's some kind of force-field, and there's no way we can penetrate it."

A sound from behind them made them turn.

Several Negaverse creatures stood before them. The Scouts assumed a defensive formation, before the five began their assault.

"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"

Mercury's fog bought them the time they needed for her to analyse the creatures. "Guys! These creatures are what's keeping that force-field up! If we can defeat them, it'll deactivate!"

"Yeah… if," Jupiter muttered, as she launched her lightning attack at two of the monsters.

Despite Jupiter's apprehension, after a long struggle they managed to defeat the creatures. However, just as the Scouts were about to begin congratulating each other on another battle won, the force-field went down –

and Tuxedo Mask cried out, falling to his knees.

"Tuxedo Mask!" The Scouts rushed towards him. Mars got down and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

He looked up slowly, clearly in great pain; but as Mercury quickly ascertained, it was not his own. He gritted his teeth against it, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Serena…" he whispered. He turned to the others. "Go back to the temple. I'll need you to be ready. I'll meet you there once I've got her out."

"But Tuxedo Mask –" Mars began, but he was already gone, a black blur leaping away into the building. She sighed, and turned to the others. "You heard him. Let's go. I don't like leaving him to face whatever's in there, but he's asked us to leave. We'll just have to trust him."

The other Scouts and Luna all looked distinctly uncomfortable about this idea, but realised that they really had no choice but to do as they had been told.

Tuxedo Mask walked quietly along a corridor leading to the mezzanine level of the warehouse. As he neared the main area, his sense grew stronger, along with the feelings inside him. He knew she was close… and in grave danger.

But even these feelings could not prepare him for what he saw below him as he approached the edge.

A mysterious individual, clad as one of the generals of the Negaverse, was launching energy bolts across the room. When the last of these cleared and he was able to see clearly, he had to stifle a cry.

Serena was lying on the other side of the room… as herself. She hadn't transformed. Which meant she surely couldn't stand up to much. She was trying to push herself upright, but having far more difficulty than she normally would as Sailor Moon.

Tuxedo Mask started forward, about to intervene, when a sudden action on the part of their foe inexplicably made him pause.

Transfixed by sudden fear, unable to move, Tuxedo Mask watched in horror as the general finally picked her up with a beam of energy, lifted her high in the air, and threw her against the wall.

Time itself seemed to slow down as he watched her fall, before hitting the floor and lying motionless.

"NO!" he screamed. The Negaverse general turned, suddenly aware of his presence. Fighting back tears, Tuxedo Mask hurled a volley of roses at his opponent. All hit their mark, and the general disappeared critically wounded.

Tuxedo Mask leapt easily to the floor, then rushed to Serena's side. Carefully, he turned her over, and could not contain a gasp as he looked at her. She was sporting several cuts and bruises, and her clothing was tattered and filthy. She was still alive – he knew that without checking – but only barely. He knew he had to get her back to the others, and fast.

He gingerly picked her up – grimacing when she gave a small pained cry – and leapt away, heading for the temple as fast as he could.

The Scouts had all but flown back to the temple, and were transforming back even as they made it to the top of the stairs.

"What happened?" Luna urged. "Where are Serena and Darien?"

Amy stopped, even as the others raced towards Raye's room. "We got there alright, but once we dispersed the energy field, Darien insisted we head back. He went in after Serena alone."

Luna was about to respond when, looking up at Amy as she was, she saw the familiar blur coming towards them. Seconds later, Tuxedo Mask landed in the yard, before reversing his transformation.

"Serena!" Luna streaked towards Darien, staring up at the prone figure in his arms.

Darien glanced briefly at Luna, before transferring his gaze to Amy. "She needs you. Fast." He looked at Serena sadly. "I… I'm not sure how long she's got."

Amy and the cats gasped, but she nodded. "The others headed for Raye's room. We'd better take her there." She and Luna moved to act as a sort of 'honour guard', preceding the others in silence, while Artemis followed behind Darien.

Author's Note 2: runs from angry SM fans I don't know where this came from... the only reason I'm posting it is because I know some people enjoy angst-type stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love Sailor Moon... which is why this fic scares me. But if even one person 'likes' it, then it will be worth the effort of posting. Please Review!


	2. Concern and Consolation

A/N: Hi there! Sorry it's taken me so long to post this - uni troubles, net refusing to work, and social engagements litter the reasons why. I shan't bore you with the details.  
To those of you who reviewed my first chapter - thank you! You guys really gave me incentive to post the rest of this. I shall answer some of your questions at the end of the chapter.  
ahem And now, without further ado, I give you Chapter 2!

As the group entered the room, the other girls looked up, and immediately their faces showed identical terrified looks. Raye stood, and motioned Darien over to her bed, watching with the others while he gently laid her down. He moved to one side, separate from the others, while Amy scanned the injured Scout with her computer. When she was done, she understood why Darien had been so careful with her. She turned to the others. "She's a real mess, I'm afraid. There's very little that she hasn't either broken or cracked. It's just lucky that she hasn't pierced anything vital. But…" her tone was grim – "she is bleeding internally. I'm going to have to work hard, guys…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked away, gazing at Serena.  
Mina placed a hand on her shoulder. "If anyone can help her, you can, Amy. We know you can do it."  
Amy smiled ever so slightly. "Thanks. I only hope you're right."  
They were startled suddenly by an odd sound. They looked around, trying to place it, and saw that Darien had collapsed to his knees in the corner, and was actually crying.  
While Mina and Lita quietly left, and Amy started to work out what she'd need to do, Raye carefully approached Darien. Kneeling beside him, she reached out and took his hand. "She'll be alright. She always is."  
Darien looked at her. "I'm not so sure this time, Raye. You… you didn't see it happen."  
Raye looked puzzled. "But Sailor Moon can generally make it through anything."  
"That's just it," he said softly. "She… wasn't Sailor Moon… this time. She hadn't… transformed."  
Raye gasped. "You mean –"  
"Yes. All that time… she was being tossed about… she was just Serena." He looked into her eyes, and suddenly she saw what he'd seen. Saw Serena – _not_ Sailor Moon – struggling to get up. Saw her being lifted into the air.  
Saw her fall.  
She looked back at him, mortified. He nodded. "I was too late – again." His shoulders shook with only-barely repressed sobs. "First I was too late to stop them taking her, and then I was too late to save her."  
Raye held out her arms, and Darien collapsed into them, sobbing like a lost child trapped in a nightmare. Which, technically, this was… a living nightmare.

It took quite some time for Amy to finish treating Serena. When she was finally done, she went outside to the others.  
"How is she, Amy?" Luna asked anxiously.  
Amy sighed. "I've done all I can," she said. "All we can really do now is wait."  
Mina looked up. "Guys… how are we going to explain this to Serena's mother?"  
Luna frowned. "I don't know. We don't know for sure how long we'd have to cover – it could be days, or even weeks…" She didn't voice her main fear – that Serena might never recover…  
"Plus there's the matter of explaining where she's been the last few days," Lita added.  
They looked at each other. That was not going to be an easy problem to solve.  
Amy looked thoughtful. "Wait… Serena's parents went away a few days ago. Her brother was apparently sent to stay with a friend, but Serena had been staying with me."  
Luna nodded, suddenly remembering. "Yes, of course. They're not due back for another couple of weeks, as I recall. With any luck," she added solemnly, "she'll be fine before they get home."  
"Mm-hmm." The others all agreed. They headed back inside towards Raye's room, but stopped at the sound of voices inside.  
They slid the door open a small way, and peeked inside.  
Raye was still talking to Darien, trying to comfort him. "If you like, you can stay here," she offered. "I'm sure Grandpa won't mind, and it'll mean you can be here with her."  
Darien smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks, Raye. I appreciate that."  
"No problem," she replied. She stood, before helping him to his feet. "I'm going to do a fire reading. Keep an eye on her." She smiled reassuringly, before heading to the door. Seeing the others waiting outside, she waved them in. "It's ok, you can go in. I'll be back in a minute."  
The group entered the room. Darien was sitting beside the bed and looked up as they entered, before returning his gaze to Serena as they gathered around him. Luna sprang lightly onto his lap, following his gaze.  
For a while, no-one spoke. Then: "They knew."  
The others looked at Darien in alarm as he spoke, his gaze never shifting from Serena's unconscious form. "Somehow, they knew she was Sailor Moon. That's the only reason why they would have taken her." His voice dropped to a whisper. "They didn't even let her transform."  
"WHAT?" the others cried in unison.  
"That's why she's in such bad shape. They attacked Serena, not Sailor Moon. She was barely able to fight back. Damn it, she didn't even have the power to pick herself up, let alone fight!" His tone held barely-suppressed anger and frustration. "And I don't even know if I really managed to take care of the monster who did this to her."  
"Was it another creature?" Mina asked.  
He shook his head. "No. It was one of their generals… but one we haven't encountered before. I… I attacked, but they always disappear before you can tell if you did them any real damage. And with the news he has to report, you can be sure he'll be back again, if he survived. They _must_ have known who she was. And if they know that – and that guy survived… you can bet they know who _we_ are."

A/N II: I hope that one isn't quite as much of a cliffhanger for you... I know I haven't exactly resolved any of the problems yet, but at least I haven't created another... this time. (jk)

And now, a few words to my reviewers:  
**Anime enthusiast:** I know, and I fully agree - cliffies are evil. But I've found that they also invariably go hand-in-hand with angst fanfiction. So please do not glare at me... please?  
**GHSBandBunny**: I'm glad you like it so far! Here is your update. But as for the happy ending... now, that would be telling ;)  
**DeathByIambicPentameter:** Thank you very much! I hope this chapter (and those that follow it) fulfil your expectations!  
**SerenityChild:** I know what you mean about the pen thing! Sometimes, the weirdest ideas just pop into my head... but sometimes that's where some of my best ideas come from. Hey, I'm writing a book which originated simply from a drawing I did while stuck inside on a rainy day...  
**peach-fan14**: Now, don't be too hard on poor Darien, he can't be perfect all of the time... But yes, that was the general idea. The Negaverse forcefield obscured his link to her, which is why he only sensed her pain once the field went down in Chapter 1. I'm glad you like it so far; please let me know what you think of this one!  
**diana:** Thanks to you too for the praise... but as I said to GHSBandBunny, I can't say what happens later, as that would be telling.  
**Moon-Daisuke:** Hmm... maybe I should write this sort of 'angsty drama' more often, if this is the reaction I'll be able to get:) Hope you enjoy Chapter 2.

Next chapter: Raye tends the sacred fire, and Darien has a nightmare...  
Please keep reading, everyone! I will try to update more often in future (but can't promise anything, remember).


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